Pretty sure someone at WW. Maybe because of the way it landed. Back then H.P. gliders were expected to land like crap and handing was adverse yaw and pitch. I still have a HP1.5 in my cellar at the dome. It handled OK after I installed a VG .
Check you PM Kevin._________________turn in lift and fly away from sink

Author: Ground Slammer
Subject: Set Up Time Tolerance-how long is the limit for You.
Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:13 pm (GMT -8)

What have you to say about how long it takes to set up your machine-current or an old one. What I am looking for is what is about as long a effort you feel was worth it ----and was there a machine that was just too long and you bailed on it because it was too much of a "B"? The top end winner was the UP Red Tail at 60 seconds bag to preflight! What I looking for is on the other end How much time is okay and how much is too much.

Gerhard
Back in 1986 three of us took lessons from a very poor "instructor" and decided to teach ourselves instead of dealing with that moron. We were experienced in many sports and fit physically.
We bought a used glider and proceeded to break it on a regular basis.
Someone recommended a reputable school not too far away so we tried them. We got professional instruction and I continued to enjoy flying for 28 Years without ever needing a hospital.
I highly recommend professional instruction if you want to learn to fly and value your life.
The best recreational investment I ever made.
Let us know how your training goes.
Best of luck
Fletcher

I trained foot launching Alpha and a Falcon gliders. When it came time to buy a glider my instructor said start off with a single surface, so my choices boiled down to a Falcon and a Freedom. I found eight people online who said they had flown both (not the same as arm chair speculation) and all of them preferred the Freedom. So I bought a Freedom 190.

The first time I flew my Freedom, it was from a little ways up the training hill, and I sailed much further and faster and smoother than I did with the Alpha and Falcon gliders. It was like somebody had buttered the air for me and pushed me to a spot 40 percent beyond the mark I normally landed at. I was ecstatic.

I now have about 60 hours on my Freedom and over 600 flights and I'm still in love with this glider.

Kamron at North Wing does a fantastic job designing and building these gliders.The rubber safety edge on the back of the down tubes is like heaven compared to the metal back edges on the Alpha and Falcon. My Freedom has a nose ring that I tie down with. A number of Wills Wing pilots have all noticed these nice touches on my glider and tell me they wish Wills Wing would put these kinds of things on their gliders.

The glider has a placard on it that says HGMA CERTIFIED.

North Wing is very responsive to it's customers. I've been able to order anything I've wanted from North Wing both through a dealer and directly.

The manual advertises a seven minute setup time for the glider. When I first bought it, it took me thirty minutes to set it up. Some of us were joking that North Wing probably found a Green Beret somewhere who could set the glider up in seven minutes. It didn't take very long to be able to set it up in fifteen minutes. But now that I'm more familiar with the glider and have learned to eliminate wasted movement setting the glider up, I can easily beat ten minutes.

This glider is heavier than the Falcon gliders. But for the extra weight I get a smoother ride.

I love the wing tips. Oh sure it would be nice to not have to bother with them, but the higher aspect ratio (more lift) and tighter wing with thinner tips (less drag) is totally worth it. I can step up to a wing end and have the tip installed in ten seconds, so inconvenience is not an issue.

I've told you a lot of good things about a Freedom. In case you do or have bought a Falcon, I will say this. After flying my Freedom for twenty three hours I went back to flying a Falcon for ninety minutes, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how well it was doing on the hill for me, and that I could be very happy with both gliders.

Gerhard wrote:
Just saying hello, I am new here. . . I am originally from South Africa, lived in England for 11 years and moved to Bulgaria a few months ago. I will as with everything else in my life have to teach myself to fly.
after the instructor kept insisting that I fly his glider rated for 197 lbs, his understanding of turbulence and updrafts also seemed questionable, so that one was a dead end.
Gerhard,

Welcome to our pilot's evening campfire! Pull up a chair, and be among friends here.

I agree, not all "HG instructors" are created equal. You really need to find the knowledgeable one who can communicate with you at a comfortable level. Please do not attempt to teach yourself to fly, because some mistakes (or the results) can be permanent. You only get one body, ever, and it is a serious tragedy when a flier loses the ability to fly. Even after a good course of instruction, I would recommend going to fly with the most experienced HG pilots in your region. There is much to learn about the sky, beyond the HG lessons.

Your RC planes can be used as scouts, to test the air (for both lift and turbulence) at places where you might wish to fly. They are a very valuable resource for you, there. Please investigate the HG schools of Spain, which will often have good flying weather. The HG pilots of Germany and Britain can give you better advice on HG schools in Europe, their weather, and travel options.

Please get some instruction. As was suggested, take a week or two and travel to a flight park to really learn to fly a hang glider.

Remember; If you crash a rc you go pick it up off the ground. If you crash a hang glider someone else comes and picks you off the ground._________________What a beautiful day! Let's go jump off a mountain!!!

Welcome! Are there pilots and/or clubs in your country that you can network with to find proper instruction? Or perhaps take a week or two vacation to somewhere like France that has a bigger hang gliding scene.

Just saying hello, I am new here.
I am originally from South Africa, lived in England for 11 years and moved to Bulgaria a few months ago.
I was looking around here for hang gliding lessons as I finally have the time to learn now, but there is not a whole lot going on here, so I will as with everything else in my life have to teach myself to fly.
I have been flying radio controlled gliders and powered aircraft for 25 years, sailed boats, and flown the odd Cessna from the right hand seat a few times. ð

I am a big guy at 6'7" weighing in at 275 lbs and I did attend a 7 day course for 2 days here, but left after the instructor kept insisting that I fly his glider rated for 197 lbs, his understanding of turbulence and updrafts also seemed questionable, so that one was a dead end.

Last spring I was interviewed for the magazine, "Distinctly Montana". Jeff Shapiro is featured online with a great video. The picture at the end with two hg's is my friend and mentor Dan Gravage and I flying together over the Hog Back.

Yes, it's true Ryan, I have not flown this year and not once last year. My back surgery went great and I WILL fly again this year, thanks for asking.
Mountain Wings is once again the only flight school in Ellenville, since 1980 I have been doing this and I own it all, free and clear, My own mountain launch ramp and flight park including my 3000 sq ft pro-shop and museum, all paid for and proud of it and I did it without selling Wills Wing. Why is it for sale? I am 62 1/2 now and I might want to have a life with my wife to be Susan. If I can;t sell it to someone that will keep the brand going and make it grow I will keep it until I am too old to do it, I love this sport. Why did two of your flight schools fail Ryan? One in Utah and the one your daddy gave you? Not as easy as it looks is it Ryan? Money? Yeah right, not in this sport, not in the north east. and every penny I made went back into the business. I teach and I mow, sometimes I mow and I teach, one of my training hills is 30 acres, lots of mowing.
When someone says "untrue facts" about the brand and product I sell, especially someone that claims to be my friend, someone without a dealership and sells nothing or doesn't teach, well, I get upset and go into the defensive mode. Guess I should have learned or "grown up" but I haven't. Why would you continue to say things that hurt my business Ryan? . That hurts me. All gliders are fun and safe, that is all that matters. When someone asks me what glider is best I tell them my opinion then insist that they fly the competitions gliders first and then come fly the glides I carry. Guess what? When the customer does that he or she will almost 100% of the time buy a North Wing. Why is that? You will never suggest that one of your customers fly a North Wing, why is that Ryan? Because you know you will be saying goodby to this customer.
It's true I do not fly a lot anymore, this is sad but I have been doing this since I was 16 and that's a long time, not sure if you will ever log as many hours as I have or flown as many different gliders, this is ok, you are a fantastic pilot and have learned from one of the best, your dad, Your a stubborn ass but for some reason, (maybe because i us to baby sit for you when you were in a stroller) I still love you Ryan, and when I get into the air again it will be you, me and your dad on top of the stack, just like old times. God I miss flying.

flybop wrote:
I keep "War and Peace" in my harness for those really long flights...

If my work schedule permits I would love to get out your way next month.

Ha!

I sure hope you can make it over! We'll be home all month except the last 7 days and then we'll be in your territory. There will be on site camping at the Fly-In. You can hit us up for a night or 2 or 3 too _________________Steve Baran ï¿½ U2 160 ï¿½ Chattaroy, WA - USA ï¿½ USHPA# 16529 ï¿½ www.centeroflift.org

flybop wrote:
My home site, the Hog Back, is only 300 feet on the north side. We soar it all the time. Personally I like 15 to 20 to provide enough ridge lift so you can work the ridge enough to eventually find a thermal. Launch is 5150 feet msl. Mt personal highest is just over 11,000 msl. There have been much higher flights and many long xc's from the Hog. I have many flights when I was scratching below launch for well over 10 minutes before I eventually made it. There have been many times that I have sunk out as well.

The south side launch is less than 200 feet agl and I have soared that as well. I have also sank out more times than not though.

My lowest T catching as well - on the S side back in 1979-80. Quite an adventure on that flight - smooth/strong lift to cloudbase (actually cloud suck!). First time I wanted down in a hang flight! The ride up was fun - getting away from the cloud - not-so-much fun!

I figured on getting in a sledder but on the way out from the hill I maintained altitude so flew back towards launch. From there it was Up City. Dan & Barney got to watch from a higher S side launch when the wind went cross. Ended up across the Yellowstone valley. I was only wearing a wrist altimeter for instruments. Can't remember what cloudbase was --- somewhere over 9K. I was right at the base - dark, misty & moist. Never lost sight of the ground but that took stuffing the basetube.